Finnish Mystery Thriller ‘Icebreaker’ Wins MipDrama, the Industry Centerpiece at Cannes’ TV Market MipTV

Ben Croll In less than a decade, the NewImages Festival’s XR market has become a key international rendezvous, emerging as both the immersive industry’s largest single-purpose event and a foundation of NewImages’ identity. Programing and positioning went hand in hand at this year’s festival, which showcased immersive works designed for museums and cultural spaces for the wider public, while inviting curators and museum delegates to feel more welcome and at-home as industry delegates.

The Rolling Stones have announced the support acts for their 2024 ‘Hackney Diamonds‘ US tour.The legendary band are set to embark on a massive US tour next week (April 28). The tour will see Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood perform in 16 cities across North America and Canada.To kick off the first night of the tour, Gary Clark Jr.

Lexi Carson At Variety’s 2024 Entertainment Marketing Summit, Andrew Wallenstein, president and chief media analyst of Variety Intelligence Platform, sat down with Jana Arbanas, vice chair and Deloitte‘s US Telecom, Media, and Entertainment sector leader, to discuss the background and themes of Deloitte’s annual digital media trends. This year was Deloitte’s 18th year of the Gen Z and Millennial survey. The survey analyzes over 3,500 consumers from ages 14 and up and is then sent back to the United States Census Bureau to obtain a real representative look at consumer behavior.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Jessica Lange spoke critically of present-day Hollywood during a recent interview with Vulture, saying “there should be a law against it” when the topic came up about Warner Bros. Discovery axing already-shot movies like “Batgirl” and “Coyote vs. Acme” for tax write-off purposes.

Glen Powell is revealing the truth behind THOSE Sydney Sweeney affair rumors!

Rebecca Rubin Senior Film and Media Reporter A24‘s political thriller “Civil War” is resonating not just in red states and blue but overseas, too. Alex Garland’s film, starring Kirsten Dunst as a photojournalist who traverses a violently divided United States, has grossed $45.7 million in North America and $20 million internationally. Global ticket sales stand at $67.3 million through Monday, and it’s projected to cross $70 million on Tuesday.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Berlin-based Picture Tree Intl. has acquired the international sales rights, excluding the Nordic countries, for the Finnish daughter-father comedy “Butterflies” (Perhoset). “Butterflies” is directed by Jenni Toivoniemi, based on a screenplay by Anna Brotkin.

Legal drama A Guilty Conscience took the top award for best film at this year’s Hong Kong Film Awards, while crime thriller The Goldfinger was the biggest winner overall with six prizes, including best actor for Tony Leung Chiu-wai. 

Don’t miss out on the chance to bag your supermarket essentials absolutely free of charge in our fantastic competition to win a £100 shopping voucher.

Carolyn Giardina Three-time Oscar-nominated director Chris Sandlers and Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o previewed unfinished footage of DreamWorks Animation‘s “The Wild Robot” at CinemaCon — what Sandlers says took inspiration from Disney classics and Hayao Miyazaki’s work, resulting in an original virtual style that he described as “a Monet painting in a Miyazaki forest.” Based on Peter Brown’s book, the story follows Roz, a robot voiced by Nyong’o, who is accidentally marooned on an uninhabited island. There, the city robot meets and learns from the animals in her new environment. In this rich world, a fox meets and advises Roz.

Annika Pham Copenhagen-based REinvent International Sales has closed Spain and Portugal with AMC Networks International Southern Europe, on the Finnish suspense disaster drama “Seconds”, Variety has learned exclusively. One of REinvent’s MipTV highlights, “Seconds,” made a strong debut on Finnish pubcaster Yle this week, according to head of drama, Jarmo Lampela. “It will easily go over the average viewing target,” he said.

Well Go USA has landed North American rights for Dutch action thriller Invasion about a daring military operation in the wake of a hostile attack on the Caribbean islands of Aruba and Curacao.

MipTV‘s 61st and final edition in Cannes saw a year-on drop of more than 40% in participation, organizers said on Tuesday. During the presser, organizers also outlined plans for MipLondon which will run alongside the London Screenings next February. This year’s MipTV welcomed 3,537 delegates from 84 countries, including 1,133 buyers, compared with 5,510 participants in 2023.

Alex Ritman Banijay has acquired the format rights to “Alumni Lovers,” the school reunion dating show from MBC that first launched in South Korea last December. In a deal to be formerly announced by its global head of acquisitions Helen Greaterox at an MIPTV panel later on Monday, the French TV giant will launch the format in Netherlands via its SimpelZodiak label and France through Endemol France.

Marta Balaga It’s confirmed: AI is going to be “the single biggest driver of change facing the industry,” said Mark Endemaño at MipTV. According to AlixPartners’ managing director, the creative industry is “leading innovation and looking for ways to make it work.” “Seventy-two per cent of execs say that they are ‘early adopters’ and as an industry, totally, 25% expect to take up with AI in the next year.

The creator of Disney+‘s Becoming Karl Lagerfeld has explained the thinking behind the team’s decision to eschew a biopic when telling the story of a crucial stage in the fashion icon’s life.

Annika Pham Helsinki-based Yle Sales has picked up global distribution rights to “Linda’s Room” (“Lindan huone”), a Finnish YA drama thriller about consent and sexual abuse to be premiered at Cannes’ content market MipTV. The six-part short form series sparked social media hype among local auds when it launched early February on pubcaster Yle and its platform Yle Areena. The show is being produced by Helsinki-based Komeetta, credited for the Sundance selected shorts “Fucking Bunnies,” “Are You Hungry?” and the Göteborg winning pic “The Missile” and YA short form “Alpha.” Hot talent Kaya Pakaslahti (“Bathroom Stories”, “Limbo”) is directing, based on a screenplay by Laura Majava.

Jack Dunn “Hire different.” That was the challenge posed to the entertainment industry by Judi Uttal, president of the Orange County Aspergers Support Group, at the inaugural Autism in Entertainment Conference on Friday morning. As head chair, she welcomed in a colorful audience of over 100 skilled neurodivergent filmmakers, ready and willing to take their shot at show business. “You are the cream of the crop,” Uttal stated in her opening remarks.

Annika Pham Keshet International (KI) has picked up global rights to Finnish sci-fi thriller “Valhalla Project” (“Operaatio Valhalla”), produced by L.A. and Helsinki -based Snapper Films for Finnish streaming service Elisa Viihde.

Christopher Vourlias Even before it became a primetime sensation last fall, Greek drama “The Beach” had all the elements of a smash hit. Set during the summer of free love in a hippie commune on the island of Crete, the sun-splashed series takes a dark turn with a mysterious murder, setting into motion events that have captivated Greek audiences across more than one hundred episodes to date.